Category: Singapuraku

First Deflation In 5 Years But Still No Savings On Food And Healthcare

Despite a strong Singapore dollar and falling oil prices, Singaporeans have said they have not noticed savings in areas such as food and healthcare.

While the Consumer Price Index showed an overall decrease, food inflation for November stemmed the slide, rising 2.9 per cent year-on-year and up from 2.8 per cent in the previous month.

This is despite oil prices driving down transport costs, and a strong Singapore dollar compared to regional currencies.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said food prices rose 0.2 per cent due to more costly non-cooked food items, and higher prices of regional food supplies and hawker meals.

F&B outlets Channel NewsAsia spoke to agreed, but cited other reasons too.

Said Mr Dilip Ghosh, owner of Urban Fairways Golf Cafe and Bar: “Essentially, the costs of food and drinks rise because I believe for our supplier, rental and manpower costs go up. So as a whole, all our costs increase.”

Rookery’s general manager, Mr Joshua Wee, said the two main cost drivers for his establishment were rent and labour. “We needed to invest in automation of some things, so that we do not have to pass back the high costs to the consumers,” he said.

Senior economist at Mizuho Bank, Mr Vishnu Varathan, said that although a strong Singapore dollar buffers against rising costs in the region, it cannot absorb the increased cost for local services in a tight labour market, among other volatile conditions.

He said: “If they are looking to see very rapid price drops in terms of food or any items they are consuming, that may not come through as quickly for three reasons. One, your labour costs may not be dropping. It may stabilise, but it may not drop as quickly, and businesses always need to build a buffer.

“Two, even if you get oil prices dropping, that may not fully offset other things such as your Causeway toll going up and hence food from across the Causeway becoming more expensive.

“Rentals also take a while to adjust, and in the meantime, hawkers may not be so willing to adjust their prices so quickly in case they get hit by a sudden increase in, say, oil prices, because certain things are volatile.”

Mr Varathan said that because of this buffering effect, the public may not feel the price drop immediately. Instead, prices are likely to continue rising in the medium term, just at a slower pace.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

December 25, 2014
Make Childcare Services Affordable

Shin Min recently reported that a father of three, aged 8, 3 and 2, griped about a 20% increase in the monthly full-day childcare fees next year.

With two younger children requiring full-day childcare services, it will cost Mr Wong, 40, who is working in the financial sector, more than $2,000 per month next year. He feels that it is financially unbearable.

Currently, two of his children are under the care of KiddiWinkie childcare centre, at $840 per month each.

Mr Wong told Shin Min that he was recently informed of the 20% increase in the monthly full-day childcare fees when he picked up his kids.

From January 2015, he will have to fork out $2,016 per month for childcare expenses alone. This is a 20% increase over the current $1,680 he is paying for his 2 younger kids.

“It’s unbearable!” Mr Wong cried out.

Mr Wong said he considered switching to another childcare centre, but there were not many near his home and work place. Furthermore, the childcare centres that he had approached also planned to raise their fees.

He opined that the cost of raising kids in Singapore has increased steeply. Lower income families may have higher subsidies, but the government should also pay attention to the sandwiched class like him who are in the middle income bracket.

Eso Masood, Director of Policy and Corporate Development, Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), responded to Mr Wong’s story thus:

Childcare fees are expected to be raised regularly by childcare centres. This is necessary for them to match the operational costs and to recruit and retain teachers to provide quality programs.

Early Childhood Development Agency provides a standard guidelines for childcare fees to ensure that changes are made in a transparent manner. It has also mandated that all childcare centres need to inform parents three months in advance for any changes in fees.

In addition, childcare centres are advised to explain the changes in fees to parents and to work together with those that have financial difficulties to resolve the matter.

KiddiWinkie is part of the Nurture Education Group which runs a number of childcare centres. Nurture co-chief executive Matthias Koh in his response to media queries, confirmed that fees will be increased from January next year and parents have been notified by letters sent out in October 2014, in tune with ECDA’s guideline of informing parents 3 months in advance for fee changes.

Mr Koh justified the increase by saying there had not been any fee adjustments for more than 2 years since March 2012, and the key factor this time is a 100% hike in rent. In fact, the fee of $1,008 per month per kid after the increase, is already a preferential rate for existing kids in the centre. New applicants will be charged $1,500 per month. Mr Koh claimed that compared with other childcare centres the fees charged by KiddiWinkie are in the lower range.

Indeed, this is a reality check on the cost of living in Singapore especially for the sandwiched class of middle income Singaporeans.

Source: www.tremeritus.com

December 24, 2014
Khaw Boon Wan: Power To HDB To Enter Flat To Carry Out Repairs

The Housing Board should be given the power to enter a flat in order for repair works to be carried out more promptly, said National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday.

He wrote in a blog post: “We need to do more to help our residents who are inconvenienced by their neighbours who refuse to cooperate. Minimally, HDB should be given the power to enter the flat for the purpose of carrying out the necessary investigations and repairs. We will need to amend the legislation to empower the HDB to do so.”

Each year, about 2,800 – or 30 per cent of – ceiling leak cases take more than three months to resolve due to uncooperative neighbours, he wrote. He was referring to upper-floor residents who refuse entry by the HDB to investigate and carry out repairs for ceiling leaks.

“In some rare cases, the resolution of the ceiling leak problem could take more than a year. This is just not satisfactory,” he said, adding that in the majority of cases, repair works such as waterproofing have to be done within the upper-floor units.

“This delays the repair unneccesarily and meanwhile, the lower-floor residents suffer the inconveniences.”

Mr Khaw added that ceiling leakages make up about a quarter of the complaints that the HDB receives.

He also pointed out that the HDB’s Goodwill Repair Assistance scheme, which helps residents with subsidised repair costs, has benefited 140,000 households since its inception in 2001. Under the scheme, the HDB bears 50 per cent of the repair costs, with the other half shared equally by upper and lower floor flat owners. On average, flat owners pay about $180 for each ceiling leak repair.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

December 23, 2014
NSmen Forced To Sign “Consent Form”

i’m writing in to unfold an standard protocol required by SAF for our annual FFI clearance, which is mandatory for NSmen upon reaching the age of 35 years old. I’m like all 35 years old, was scheduled for this liability, days after turning 35. So here goes with the standard procedures: blood test, eye test, ECG test, weight and height measurement and not forgotting, a declaration form on your wellbeing and personal details. And the final stage of the test, seeing the in-camp Medical Officer (MO).

I’m an avid runner and swimmer, who exercises regularly at least 5 to 6 days per week, but however I do have some bad habits in smoking and drinking (occasionally), therefore, as per the MO, standard protocol requires me to take the treadmill test, scheduled a few days later at the National Heart Centre.

So well, IPPT and NS is a man’s responsibility, therefore I do not even have the slightest complaint, and not to mention, I do not have any problem in clearing my IPPT. I only have problem getting GOLD! Silver to me is like a piece of cake.

A few days later and here I am, in the National Heart Centre, waiting for my turn to take the test. As the nurse was implanting all the “sockets” on my body, and explaining briefly to me about this test, a remark suddenly caught my full attention.

“Sir I need you to know that there’s a possibility of 1 in 10,000 of heart attack for this test and we need you to sign a consent form.”

Straight away, the answer in my mind was NO! For tons of reasons which I explained to the doctor when the nurse could not handle my queries.

Why should we be liable for something we did not ask for? If SAF needs us to do such test, it proves there’re some health risks after the age of 35, and why are they still implementing this and most importantly, how can they wash their hands off matters which they are forcing the citizens to do? Least they can do is to be liable in case NSmen suffer heart attack during the test.

I saw the MO again, he had no explanations for my concerns and quoted me an example:

“There’s risk to everything you do, like you chose to park your car there, there is risk of break-in.”

Any answer to him is simple, “I chose to park the car there and willing to take the risk. I did not choose to serve NS or IPPT, therefore I shouldn’t be liable for the risk.”

MO’s reply: This is standard protocol and nothing he can do about it. If I do not comply, I will get charged.

I ended the conversation immediately, and in any case, what can a Captain do to oppose such non-logical protocol?

It might sound like a small issue and I know many of you will tell me I am over reacting but I feel insulted that we are forced to sign a “consent form” or be charged. Like that, it’s not really consent since I have no choice.

The Truth

* Submitted by TRE reader.

Source: www.tremeritus.com

December 23, 2014
More CCTVs Higher Fines To Deter Illegal Parking

A tiered fines system for illegal parking will be introduced from next year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Monday.

Under the new rules, motorists who receive their second offence notice within a year will have to pay more in fines.

For example, a motorist caught parking a light vehicle along unbroken double yellow lines will be fined $110, instead of $70, if that is his second offence within 12 months.

“About half of all illegal parking traffic notices issued between 2011 and 2014 are committed by repeat offenders,” LTA said.

The number of demerit points, which are meted out for more serious illegal parking offences, will remain unchanged.

To enforce and deter illegal parking, CCTV cameras will also be installed at 40 more locations, such as along the stretch of Grange Road between Mandarin Gallery and Cineleisure, and along Rochor Road in front of Fu Lu Shou complex.

These CCTV cameras, which provide round-the-clock enforcement, have already been installed at 30 locations.

Dr Chin Kian Keong, LTA’s group director for transportation and road operations, said the authority has “observed improved traffic conditions along some stretches of roads which used to suffer from obstruction caused by indiscriminately parked vehicles, such as along Beach Road, Bishan Road and Pasir Panjang Road”.

“Besides improving traffic flow for cars and other road users, our bus commuters have also benefited from smoother traffic along these roads,” Dr Chin added.

To deter illegal parking, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed at 40 more locations around the island, the Land Transport Authority said on Monday.

These CCTVs, which offer round-the-clock enforcement, are currently used at 30 other locations. These areas have since seen improved traffic conditions, the LTA added.

The new batch of CCTVs will be ready in the first half of 2015.

Locations with CCTV already installed

1. Beach Road (near Golden Mile Complex)
2. Marine Parade Central (near Parkway Parade)
3. Upper Bukit Timah Road (after The Linear)
4. Ardmore Park, Draycott Park (near Ardmore Park & JC Draycott)
5. Commonwealth Avenue West (Clementi MRT, both directions)
6. Serangoon Central (Serangoon MRT, near NEX mall)
7. Boon Lay Way (Boon Lay MRT, near Jurong Point)
8. Bishan Road (Bishan MRT)
9. Jurong Gateway Road (around Jurong East Central, near Jurong East MRT)
10. Jurong West Street 63 (Pioneer MRT)
11. Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 (AMK MRT)
12. Boon Lay Way (Lakeside MRT)
13. New Upper Changi Rd (Bedok MRT, Bedok Centre)
14. Pasir Panjang Road (AVA centre to shophouses before MAS Currency House)
15. Woodlands Road (Kranji MRT, both directions)
16. Collyer Quay (both directions)
17. Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4 (Lot 1, CCK MRT/LRT)
18. Choa Chu Kang Loop (outside CCK Bus Interchange)
19. Jalan Sultan (Textile Centre)
20. Tampines Central 1 (near to bus interchange, Tampines MRT)
21. Beach Road (at Golden Mile Food Centre)
22. River Valley Road (in front of Spize, Boon Tong Kee)
23. Tanjong Katong Road (near Parkstone Road)
24. Woodlands Ave 7 (Admiralty MRT)
25. North Bridge Road (opp and along Bugis Junction)
26. Jalan Besar (Eminent Plaza)
27. Punggol Road (junction of Punggol Central, both directions)
28. Sembawang Road (Jalan Lengkok Sembawang)
29. Serangoon Road (Tekka Centre)
30. Upper Serangoon Road (junction of Simon Road & Florence Road)

Locations selected for CCTV installation in 2015

1. Ang Mo Kio Street 52 (in front of Block 527)
2. Bukit Batok East Avenue 3 (in front of Block 284)
3. Beach Road (from Purvis Street junction to Middle Road)
4. Beach Road (from Seah Street junction to Purvis Street)
5. Buffalo Road (from Serangoon Road junction to lamp-post 5)
6. Cambridge Road (in front of Block 43)
7. Cambridge Road (in front of Blocks 41A & 42)
8. Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1 (in front of Hong Kiat seafood)
9. Cluny Park Road (in front of French Embassy & Cluny Court towards the direction of Bukit Timah Road)
10. Cluny Park Road (taxi stand, opposite unit 89)
11. Collyer Quay (access road next to OUE Bayfront)
12. Dunman Road (from Joo Chiat Road junction to Onan Road junction)
13. Grange Road (between Mandarin Gallery and Cineleisure)
14. Jalan Kembangan (Kembangan MRT)
15. Jalan Pelepah (opposite AVA centre)
16. Joo Chiat Road (in front of I12 Katong Mall)
17. Jurong West Street 91 (in front of Blocks 962 to 959)
18. Marina Coastal Drive (in front of Marina South Pier)
19. Marymount Road (in front of Marymount MRT)
20. New Bridge Road (from Keong Saik Road junction to junction of Kreta Ayer Road)
21. Outram Road (in front of Tan Boon Liat building)
22. Owen Road (in front of Pek Kio market)
23. Pasir Ris Drive 4 (in front of Pasir Ris polyclinic)
24. Race Course Road (from Little India MRT to taxi stand F27)
25. Rochor Road (in front of Fu Lu Shou complex)
26. Selegie Road (between POMO and Parklane Shopping Mall)
27. Seletar Road (in front of Greenwich Shopping Centre)
28. Sengkang West Avenue (in front of Fernvale Point)
29. Serangoon Road (in front of The Verge Shopping Mall)
30. Tampines Avenue 4 (in front of Tampines Mall)
31. Tiong Bahru Road (Redhill MRT – bus stop)
32. Tiong Bahru Road (Redhill MRT – pick up bay)
33. Toh Tuck Road (in front of SingPost)
34. Upper Paya Lebar Road (Tai Seng MRT – exit B)
35. Upper Paya Lebar Road (Tai Seng MRT – exit A)
36. Upper Serangoon Road (Serangoon MRT – exit B)
37. Upper Serangoon Road (in front of eateries near Sunshine Terrace)
38. Woodlands Street 82 (in front of Woodlands North Plaza)
39. Worcester Road (before right bend into HDB car park, both sides)
40. Yishun Avenue 11 (in front of Block 419)

Source: www.straitstimes.com

December 23, 2014